Africa-Press – Namibia. RESIDENTS of Onamatanga village in the Ruacana constituency say they are forced to go about their daily lives without a drop of water.
The only borehole at the village is said to have dried up, and the water is contaminated and sour, they say. The village has reportedly been without drinkable water since independence.
Onamatanga has a high number of marginalised San peolpe, whose livelihoods continue to be disrupted by years of recurring drought, exacerbated by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Village headman Kaalote Sheengala says the community has been overlooked by the government as they have no access to basic services, and are forced to travel long distances for these. Apart from a lack of access to water, the community does not have access to proper roads or healthcare facilities either.
“It seems the government does not care about us here. We do not have access to services, and the nearest healthcare facilities are many kilometres away. To get there, it will take you hours, because of the bad road conditions.
“We really want water. Please help us, we are dying of thirst. The dirty and contaminated water we consume is giving us upset stomachs, and our children are always in and out of the hospital due to severe diarrhoea,” Sheengala says.
He says additionally, community members are fearing for their lives as they live among elephants that destroy their homesteads and endanger their lives. Sheengala is pleading with the government to make basic services available at Onamatanga.
Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform last week met with constituency councillor Andreas Shintamba to explore the possibility of drilling boreholes at the village. Shintamba asked community members to remain patient as plans are in place to bring services closer to them.
